Black Lagoon, Vol. 1 (v. 1) (Paperback)

~ Rei Hiroe (Author, Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Lock n' load with the baddest soldiers of fortune ever to hit the high seas of Southeast Asia! Aboard their World War II era torpedo boat, the Black Lagoon, Dutch the Boss, Benny the Mechanic, Revy Two Hand, and Rock, the salary-man from Japan, deliver anything, anywhere. In the dangerous underworld of the Russian Mafia, Chinese Triads, Colombian drug cartels, crazed assassins, and ruthless mercenaries, it's hard to know who to trust. But if you've got a delivery to make, and you don't mind a little property damage along the way, you can count on the crew of the Black Lagoon!

 

The baddest group of mercenaries ever to hit the high seas of Southeast Asia! Aboard their World War II torpedo boat, the Black Lagoon, Dutch the Boss, Benny the Mechanic, Revy Two Hand, and Rock, the salaryman from Japan, deliver anything, anywhere. In the dangerous underworld of the Russian Mafia, Chinese triads, Colombian drug cartels, crazed assassins, and ruthless mercenaries, it's hard to know who to trust. But if you've got a delivery to make, and you don't mind a little property damage along the way, you can count on the crew of the Black Lagoon! Rokuro Okajima was just an average Japanese salaryman, living an average life. But when he's taken hostage by the crew of the Black Lagoon, Rokuro finds himself thrown headfirst into a deadly world of outlawed heroes, brutal villains, and blazing gunfights. Where he ends up is anyone's guess, but one thing is for certain--he's in for a wild ride!

About the Author

Rei Hiroe debuted as a mangaka in 1993. Since then, he has been an active illustrator and dojinshi and has created many titles released through the dojin community. His most recent work, Black Lagoon, is a huge hit and is serialized in the monthly magazine Sunday GX. The Black Lagoon animated TV series has also reached blockbuster status.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: VIZ Media LLC; illustrated edition edition (August 12, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142151382X
• ISBN-13: 978-1421513829
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,640 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #34 in

  Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > Mystery

• This is item 1 in The Black Lagoon / English Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Two-hand gets her manga on..., August 12, 2008

By	N. S. Michael (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

**** Plastic Wrapped for Violence ****

I first got into Black Lagoon when it aired in Japan a few years ago... and was hooked immediately. Action, honor among thieves, a little service here and there... as well as a good chunk of social commentary hidden beneath the veil of its surreal premise.

For the most part, that's what we get here as well...

Rokuro's induction into the Lagoon crew plays out pretty cleanly in both manga and anime versions... the manga is just slimmer in details that I remember from the anime. Something I don't often see when comparing the two (usually, it's vice versa). Roberta and Garcia show up earlier than I expected, and are pretty much exactly as I remember them from the anime, just again with less detail (especially in the terminator/car chase scene).

And I think that's my main issue with the book... it's solid, has great action, is a true source for its derivative work (the anime), and is much better than the majority of action manga we have here domestically... but just doesn't grab me and push all my buttons like the anime does. All those little extras in the background while the characters are driving or sailing are missing. The big chunk of Rock's transistion from salaryman to mercenary in that first story arc that I enjoyed was his gradual formulation of a plan to escape from the other merc team chasing them... that, in the manga, is instantaneous... whereas, in the anime, it takes time and the audience shares in the eureka moment. The same sort of lackthereof is a shame to me.

Still, most folks in the mood for some merc action will get a kick out of it, so I recommend a read... but fans of the anime who haven't read the manga yet shouldn't be suprised that a good deal of the minutia and window dressings they may have loved from the animation weren't/aren't in the source material.

2.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy, overworked graphics and weak characters., November 10, 2009

By	Mr. Eddie (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

I'm not a manga expert, and I am not the world's biggest Michael Bay / Jerry Bruckheimer fan -- but I still enjoy great action and shootouts. Unfortunately, for all of Black Lagoon's slick production it is the equivalent of mind-numbing, preposterous Hollywood productions like "Fast and Furious".

Granted, it does have a more original setting (these are SE Asian smugglers), and slightly above-average plotting. My real issue is twofold. On one hand we have this tired, 1990s two-handgun pistol-packing mama who is your basic super-assassin tattooed bad*ss. Unfortunately, what little enjoyment the character may bring is almost totally negated by the preposterously frenetic artwork and lettering which is the equivalent of the worst rapid-cut Hollywood junk. You can barely make out what's going on in a fight there are so many speedlines and blurred roundhouse kicks, splashing waves...it's totally overkill and just not very enjoyable.